A reader spotted this W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class on Interstate 880 in northern California today, a car and owner living their best lives. Why would you modify a W126 to carry a motorcycle? That is not the question. The question is why not.

I’m assuming whoever owns this has a garage, as it looks like they had to take out the rear window to accommodate the track that holds the bike. It also probably helps that they live in California, even northern California, which gets a bit more rain than the desert-like southern part.

Also, if I were in this I’d be worried that a giant piece of metal would impale me at any given moment, especially if I were a passenger in the rear seats. And yet! If you do this, you know what you’re getting into, along with the attendant risks, and the attendant loss in rear view visibility.

This looks to be the post-facelift S-Class, the one from between 1985 and 1992, though the exact year is hard to say. It doesn’t really matter much, as the car is something entirely different than what it was before. The beauty here is in the details, like the roof cut-out, and what looks to be arms formerly attached to the trunk sticking up in the air, just chilling. The license plate has also been conveniently moved to the left.

Motorcycles can’t drive themselves!

(Thanks Mark!)

(I originally wrote “hood” when I meant “trunk.” As you were.)